Ancient Chinese Curse (Interesting Times reviews)

[Paco Del Stinko]

Or do you mean the crappy vocals?

HA! No, just an overall vibe, I guess. Guitar driven, intense, and similar vocal approach, I think. A grey mood. There's something there that just kind of brought them to mind, although you certainly don't sound like an imitation.

[Märk]

Or do you mean the crappy vocals?

HA! No, just an overall vibe, I guess. Guitar driven, intense, and similar vocal approach, I think. A grey mood. There's something there that just kind of brought them to mind, although you certainly don't sound like an imitation.

Cool. I don't mind at all being compared to bands like Husker Du, BTW; that wasn't a complaint, just a "I wonder where Paco is coming from on this"

Now, if you compared me with The Melvins, I'd probably poop my pants with glee...(hint: my next submission is going to sound like the Melvins)

[No Horse Town]

OK, here's my first reviews under the new(ish) voting system. Good +/- Neutral - Bad does not neccessarily = Vote, by the way.
Overall Me-Likeyness = Vote.

Adam Dachis
GOOD: It's pretty. It's short.
NEUTRAL: Reminds me of Tracy Chapman.
BAD: Doubled-up vocals used a little too much, or maybe not smooth enough in parts.
VOTE: Nope.

Paco Del Stinko
GOOD: I like your voice. Quality guitar riffs, well played, and changing throughout the song. First proper solo starts off super-cool. Pre-chorus is nice.
NEUTRAL: I didn't pay attention to the lyrics, but it seems like you're saying something. I don't really care.
VOTE: Yep.

MC Eric B
GOOD: I like the bit near the end: "interesting Ti---i---imes"... seemed kinda cheesy, in a good way.
NEUTRAL: I don't like your voice, but it's a matter of opinion, I guess. Ditto for the music.
BAD: Weak lyrics, especially for an "MC".
VOTE: Nope.

PiGPEN
GOOD: Good composition, diggin' (most of) the music.
NEUTRAL: Not sure about the build-up at the end.
BAD: Singing too loud, and too "talky"... I think it could be salvaged, tho. It's better on the chorus, but just a little.
VOTE: Nope.

Mailbox
GOOD: Well-sung. And well-played, I suppose. I like the ending.
BAD: A little *too* stacatto, too much of the time. The formula never changes at all.
VOTE: Nope.

Melvin
GOOD: The "rat-rat-tat", the throat-clearing after "impeccable flow", that kinda stuff.
NEUTRAL: Is that "Dream Weaver"? Oh wait, yeah, it totally is. Duh, of course I should've realized it was intentional. Kinda weird, but it's cool. Most of it is end-rhymes... that's fine I guess, but I like my rap lyrics a little busier/thicker.
VOTE: Nope.

Flxvvm Florvm
GOOD: I am totally diggin' the music. I'm a sucker for this kinda stuff.
BAD: I've heard enough of your stuff now to know that you could've sung this better. That guitar solo is too loud (tho it's pretty decent).
VOTE: Nope.

Dante LeChunk
NEUTRAL: Warm chorusey intro... no, wait, it's the whole song. Dammit. I don't like this. But I guess that's just my taste.
BAD: Nothing against instrumentals, but I don't see how this reflects the song title.
VOTE: Nope.

ShotPounder
GOOD: I dig your voice. Cool breakdown.
NEUTRAL: Most of the music seems kinda boring... maybe a bit derivative?... to me, but objectively I guess it's fine.
BAD: Lyrically, I think there's a little too much repeat-a-phrase-ism going on. It reaches a point where it's a bit distracting.
VOTE: Nope.

Chumlords
NEUTRAL: Dead Kennedys, OK... not my thing, but well-executed. I'm simultaneously liking and disliking the ending.
BAD: Vocals just a decibel or two too loud.
VOTE: Nope.

The Booty Chesterfield Trio
GOOD: I like those clacky, slappy drums. And your voice is great.
NEUTRAL: The rest of the music. But my girlfriend would love it.
BAD: Ending is a little weak.
VOTE: Yep.

Johnny Cashpoint
GOOD: Some of the synth/guitar melodies/noodling.
NEUTRAL: This is totally not my thing.
BAD: Can't stand the effect on the vocals. Also, vocal volume is kinda inconsistent. Drums are too hissy.. what is that, a synthy hi-hat or something? Whatever it is, it's overused, and sounds kinda distorted, in a bad way.
VOTE: Nope.

Madgin and the Party Bears
GOOD: Some ambitious/pretty vocal lines. Guitars and bass are good at what they do.
NEUTRAL: Very very 90s. Sincere. Ultra-steady and non-changey. Christian Rock?
BAD: Singer comes *close*, but just can't cut it on some of those big dramatic vocal thingies.
VOTE: Nope.

Electric Needle Room
GOOD: That whistle in the background, I like that. Actually, the rest of the music is pretty cool too.
NEUTRAL: The ultra-repetitive chorus has got me all mixed up. My first reaction is that it's cheap and easy and annoying, but I dunno, it kinda grows on ya...
BAD: Lyrics seem lazy/sloppy in places.
VOTE: Not sure yet.

Jonathan Mann and the Not-So-Flats
GOOD: Well-written lyrics. Cool rhyme scheme.
NEUTRAL: On the chorus, the main singer is a little outta synch with the crowd in places.
BAD: I think the chorus came in too early. Try waiting til after one more verse.
VOTE: Maybe.

The Weakest Suit
GOOD: At the beginning of the 2nd half, the way it drops out to that warm warbly guitar at the end of each measure, I like that.
NEUTRAL: Towards the song as a whole, I'm pretty indifferent. It's nice enough. So my criticism is kinda nitpicky, yeah.
BAD: Too drastic of a change between talking/singing on the first bit. ("You're not my.."->SING , "I'm not your.."->SING). Just sing those talky parts a little bit.. blend it together..
VOTE: Nope.

The Narcaloungers
GOOD: Tasteful ghostly almost-solo. Pretty good singin'.
NEUTRAL: I don't like rhyming "train" with "again", but it's commonly accepted, so yeah, whatever. Same goes for "away" with "misery".
VOTE: Nope.

Yardboy
GOOD: The line "I won't be that guy", that's a good line. I like the chorus.
NEUTRAL: I can't get into this kinda music...
BAD: Guitar is either too loud in general, or maybe just too rhythmy, too pop-slap-flup-flup-fluppy. Does that make any sense?
VOTE: Nope.

Billy's Little Trip featuring Paco Del Stinko
GOOD: These guitar tones are some of the best I've heard on here. Good singing, too. Hey, this song is fun and rockin'. Thank you.
NEUTRAL: Vocals get a little too loud as the song goes on. But.. it kinda works.
VOTE: Yep.

Hijack & the Requests
NEUTRAL: I think the music was.. OK?.. but it's hard to pay attention to it...
BAD: Your voice. It's too loud and it's frickin' annoying. Really makes it hard to appreciate the rest of the song. Instead of talking up close to the mic, try singing the same thing further away. There were some melodies there which would've sounded at least OK if sung, but as it is... bleh.
VOTE: Nope.

Jan Krueger
GOOD: Hey, those *are* interesting times. Although a little sloppy in places, I really like the vox. This is cool and creative and apt for the title. Good job.
VOTE: Yep.

Berkeley Social Scene
GOOD: I love this kinda stuff. I think this is super cool. Great job. Hard to think of anything neutral, bad, or even constructive to say.
NEUTRAL: Except, the solo is too loud and maybe a little too traditionally wanky. Still, doesn't break the song. And: could stand to be reworked a tad to make the individual parts a little less repetitive within themselves (like the end part). Still, you only had a week...
VOTE: Yep.

The Hand Formula
GOOD: Pretty.
NEUTRAL: This song is the very definition of "neutral". Maybe.
BAD: Boring.
VOTE: Nope.

Sven Mullet
GOOD: Altogether solid.
NEUTRAL: Reminds me of Pinback, but I'm not sure why. It's prolly just that main riff and the vocals. And the angels thing. I don't usually like fade-outs, but this one works OK.
BAD: Too repetitive.
VOTE: Nope.

Todd McHatton
GOOD: It's sweet and cute enough.
BAD: Vocals are obviously way too loud. With constant mic pops/fuzz and everything. If it's a stylistic choice, I guess I just don't get it.
VOTE: Nope.

So, yeah, votes for Paco Del Stinko, Booty Chesterfield Trio, BLT feat. PDS, Jan Krueger, Berkeley Social Scene, and possibly Electric Needle Room / JM and the NSF. Wow, that's a lot of votes. Good fight!

[Learned Hand]

Thanks once again for the reviews. I'll cop to boring & try to fix it. But I'm sticking with pretty. Anyway, sorry about tuning. Did the best I could. I think the ukulele was in tune. The drone is a Magnus Chord Organ, and there's no tuning it. Guess I haven't nailed the Nico shtick yet. I agree on too long Paco. Will remedy next time. I don't think I can make it past 2:30 without getting tiresome. Only 4 more Pennies to go. I appreciate your patience.

Will try to post some reviews myself later this week.

[irwin]

OK, let's try that again...


Adam Dachis

Drums feel stiff and robotic. Ends suddenly, I wanted it to keep going! Vocals sound good, and I like the Yaz-esque synth line.

Berkeley Social Scene

Jazz oddesey! I like the changing sections. Mix feels too wide, at least on headphones. Perhaps pan the guitars not quite so hard? In particular the acoustic in my left ear is particularly not sitting well in the mix. Drum kit sounds nice and crunchy, and props for keeping up with the time signatures. Great solos!

Billy's Little Trip and Paco

Man I like the guitars. Vocal track is a little too wet for my taste, but well delivered. Drums sound good, but out of place. They just don't mesh with the rest of the sounds.

Booty Chesterfield Trio

Down and dirty. Man this is great. I love the noisy, dissonant solo. I can't understand a word of the lyrics.

Chumlords

I like it, and it sounds like you got what you were going for. I like this song a lot better at 1:46 than 3:35.

Dante LeChunk

I keep waiting for Klaus Meine to come in.

Electric Needle Room

Vocals a little plosive, do you use a pop filter? I am digging the devoness of it all (devoitude? devosity?). Outro drags on a little.

Flvxxvm Florvm

Great bassline. This needs live drums in a big way. That's an interesting effect on the guitar solo. What is it? Instrumentation could more variety, it's a little samey all the way through.

Hand Formula

Bring up the uke in the mix. Wait. there's someone singing? Yeah bring up the vocals too. Melody sounds exactly the same as last week. See comment above concerning instrumentational variety.

Hijack and the Requests

The only track where the vocals are loud enough in the mix... and everything else is too quiet.

Jan Krueger

I like the split stereo harmony. The parallel instrument/vocal run in the chorus is nice too.

Johnny Cashpoint

Great intro. Nice mix of sounds, the synth strings and electric guitar blend well. If I had a complaint, it would be the "machine gun" fake-soudning drums.

Jonathan Mann

Who brought the s'mores? Pleasant enough, well sung, goes on a little long.

Madgin

Drums feel a little mechanical and robotic. They could also be louder and beefier, they get lost when the heavy guitar kicks in. I like the tone on the bass, but the level seems really uneven. Some compression on the vocal and bass tracks might help tighten things up. Structurally I love the building of clean guitar, then bass, then heavy guitar, but when things go back to just the clean guitar after the chorus, it feels like something is missing.

Mailbox

I love this. Lots going on, but the mix is clean and everything fits. Catchy. My one nitpick would be that it all sounds too tight and sequenced. Could use a little more swing to it.

Melvin

I like the samples, and I salute the departure from your normal style. The vocal delivery fits the material well.

PiGPEN

Ow. My head is spinning. Stereo field is a little chaotic on headphones. It feels very disjoint when the vocals first come in, but settles back down into a groove. I like the low drony bass noise that comes in around 1:30.

Shotpounder

Great drums, well played and well recorded. Nice overlapping vocals make what would otherwise be a boring chorus more interesting. I keep waiting for Rob to Rock the Riff, Tom Morello style.

Sven Muellet

Could use more drums and vocals in the mix, they are drowned out a bit by the guitars. Where is the searing guitar solo? Not every song needs a wanky guitar solo, but this one does. In my head there's this bit that goes "waaaaaaaaah, meedly meedly waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah chunka chunka wooooooooooooo dun-dun dun-dun-dun qweeeeeeeeeeeee". Man it's great. Wish you could hear it.

Todd McHatton

Great instrumentation. A little hot, clipping in places. Guitar solo is a little jarring, stylistically. Songfight needed more tuba, thank you for providing it.

Weakest Suit

Vocals: more volume, less reverb. Drums could be louder. Also, the drums seem to come and go randomly, very distracting. I like the guitar effects. Strap on the keytar and add a huge synth solo!

Yardboy

Nice guy-and-guitar. Guitar sounds a little thin and flat. Did you use a pickup? If so, I'd love to hear it miced! This would sound great with percussion under it, bongos and a kit, ala Guster.

[Spud]

At least you're consistent...

[electricneedleroom]

This was the second time I submitted a song for Songfight and boy did I have fun with this one.

Thanks for all the reviews so far of the songs. For the record, I have no association whatsoever with Emergency Pizza Party, but I am a fan of their stuff.

Here are the songs I voted for/liked:
Berkely Social Scene
Chumlords
Jonathan Mann
Mailbox
Melvin (this one was my favorite)
Paco Del Stinko
Shot Pounder
Todd McHatton

I'm always amazed by all of the talent of the songwriters that submit on this site

[Paco Del Stinko]

Hey Irwin! I see that you repeated a couple of reviews for people, and left some others out. Maybe a cut and paste error, or something? Not complaining, just pointing it out in case you missed it.

[irwin]

Hey Irwin! I see that you repeated a couple of reviews for people, and left some others out. Maybe a cut and paste error, or something? Not complaining, just pointing it out in case you missed it.

Ergh. Probably. I edit offline and then copy in. I'll go back and try to re-paste.

Thanks, I probably would have never noticed.

[nyjm]

Goddamn, I step away from Songfight for two little fights and people bring the best songs I have heard in a long time. Cripes, you folks are going to sap all of my free time. Melvin, ShotPounder, Booty Chesterfield Trio, I'm looking at you...

Songs downloaded and on heavy rotation on the Mp3 player. Reviews forthcoming.

[EmbersOfAutumn]

Interesting Times – Reviews

Been a little bit since I’ve done one of these, so I’m gonna get into it, even though I didn’t submit this week. Just felt like it. (Learned quickly I had to reset my presets on WinAMP to ‘flat lines’ to avoid distorted sounds from some songs) As usual, I tend to focus on the negative, but they are, after all, my thoughts. Consider it constructive criticism.


Adam Dachis – This is very nice. Very… very nice… Just—wayyy too short. This sounded like verse one of a kickin’ song.

8 of 10

Berkeley Social Scene – Holy Crap, did I just get the high score at Pac-Man or something? Very busy intro, but I like it when it starts turning into an actual song. The problem is that the incredibly speedy intro makes the song feel unnaturally sluggish. It’s fine after about a minute, but it’s disorienting at the very beginning. I do like some things about the song, but it’s just not really grabbing me. The bridge is nice, just a tad long and overly varied in things happening.

7 of 10

BLT f/ PDS - *taps player* Ah, there it is… thought the song froze up on me… Nice intro. Lead guitar does some nice stuff. Especially around 1:55. Just a good song—perhaps a bit attacking, but that’s not a bad thing—just haven’t had coffee yet this morning…

7 of 10

Booty Chesterfield Trio – Interesting beat shift at the beginning. (Or.. it sounds like a shift… maybe it wasn’t)… Vocals are a little cluttered on the mixing—not coming through very clearly. Kind of feels like BLT+PDS’s song, and again, nothing wrong with the style, I just can’t appreciate it fully right this second. I would have cleaned up the vocals a little, still…

6 of 10

Chumlords – How did you get Warwick Davis to provide vocals for your song? The music is a tad repetitive, but moving. Perhaps you should move on from recording on equipment from the 1950’s—quality is a little lo fi…

4 of 10

Dante LeChunk – Got a ballad intro—I like it. It… um… needs a song, though. I get a feeling that I’m listening to a “Learn how to play Yanni on guitar” album or something. Some sort of vocals should be present. Music is nice though… Just build on it for next time.

3 of 10 (for the music)

Electric Needle Room – Mixing, people! I can barely hear the song. Very 80’s maud-ballad-pop feel to the music. I keep wanting to offer to ‘Whip It’. And… if you say “Interesting Times” one more time, I just might—literally… with a bullwhip…

3 of 10

Flvxxvm Florvm – Were you talking in tongues at 0:28? This seems to be the fight of ‘awesome music, wth on the lyrics’. Lick is nice. Guitar tonal quality maybe could use a little something more, but I’m not sure what…

3 of 10

The Hand Formula - *strains* *strains harder* I… cannot… hear… you… at all. I hear the snake charmer, I hear the uke, but I don’t here you. I’m 1 minute in and I see this song is 4:40 in length. If this song is almost 5 minutes of this, we have a problem… I think this may be nicer with better equipment and a different selection of instruments, and turning the vocals way the hell up…

2 of 10

Hijack and The Requests – I swear when I heard you start to sing, I thought you were a stand-up comic making fun of rock artists… Way too… um… breath-y. In other words, for this style, I shouldn’t be hearing you breathe in (before a line) or out (at the end of a line)… or at all after hearing this song in its entirety. I have a request—please work on your music and turn your vocals down a bit.

0 of 10

Jan Krueger – This song has… some merit, I must admit. I kind of expect this somewhere in a 70’s spy flick. Maybe not quite bond, but somewhere along that caliber. Especially if the film took place somewhere in Egypt or perhaps the Middle East. I hate to admit this, but I can’t seem to pick up your Time Signature. I’m sure it’s just me. In some parts, it feels 6/8, other times 5/8, and yet others 7/8. I guess there’s nothing wrong with it—but it kind of feels disjointed at times.

5 of 10

Johnny Cashpoint – Promising intro. The vocals need to come down just a tad in the mix there at the first verse—especially if you’re going to use a heavy effect/filter on the vocals. (That may be more opinion than fact). I like the music quite a bit, and what the song is attempting to do is good. It still feels a little empty somewhere. Perhaps the lead guitar could come up a little? Some work needed, but a good song underneath.

4 of 10

Jonathan Mann and the Not b – This isn’t too bad. I like the various background vocals—anytime a project gets a number of people involved is really cool. The only thing I have to say right now is: if there’s only going to be one instrument at all, it should come up just a little in the mix… maybe even just slightly if you didn’t want it too overbearing. It just would compliment the singing better I think. Also, could have been about a minute shorter…but good song.

7 of 10.

Magdin and the Party Bears – Guitar parts are nice, vocals are alright. Nothing too overbearing, maybe the vocals could come up a tad. Well, a slight problem. When the distortion kicks in (which is fine by the way), the drums need to come up too. They’re quite dwarfed out by the guitar. They’re otherwise fine during the non-distorted parts. There also needs to be something else through the non-distorted parts (a light something in the background—it just sounds kind of naked during the verses). The mixing seems a little better after the 3:00 mark (drums still could come up a little more). This is a good song—I can tell a bit of work went into making it what it is.

6 of 10

Mailbox – Heh, nice intro. I must admit—that’s rather catchy in a Ben Folds Five sort of way. In fact, this is rather good. Not much to say about it, really.

8 of 10

M.C. Eric B – Well… it’s… very soft… It needs to come up… But it’s alright, I have to admit. I… I actually wish I could hear it a little louder, maybe crisper. I say all this because, honestly, I haven’t been all too thrilled with some of your past projects—but this is really good. Thumbs up.

8 of 10

Melvin – Heh, I love sound clips, so long as done properly. Intros are a nice place for them. Wow, interesting genre for you guys. I know you’ve done this before, but I just haven’t heard much of it. Heh! Classic song remake! This must have been a fun project to do. This sounds so much like something that would be done. I’m not too ecstatic about the song itself, but I have to ‘give props’ for the good job done on it.

9 of 10

The Narcaloungers – This is… well… one of those songs that you really just want to like, but it just isn’t quite grabbing enough. I like the guitar parts, and you have a good enough voice to sing well (tone, etc.). The song just needs something in my opinion. It could also sound less Country—I’d appreciate that, too…

4 of 10

Paco Del Stinko - … Di..didn’t you already do a song with BLT? Man, somebody’s been busy lately. As usual, I love the music. The vocals seem to be better than usual, too! This sounds like an awesome driving song. It… almost seems to kind of go down in quality slightly as the song progresses—that just may be me. I think that this is a good job.

7 of 10

PiGPEN – Intro sounds a lot like music from Final Fantasy VII (not a put-down—my fav. conductor of all time is Nobuo Uematsu) I like the music. You have a little bit of a Billy Corgan tone to your voice. I think if you worked a little bit at enunciation, your vocals would improve dramatically. This song has merit, but it still is lacking in something…

5 of 10.

ShotPounder – Well, hope you learned your lesson… don’t pound shots before recording music… Actually, it’s not terribly bad. I kind of feeling like belting out a Steven Tyler “Walk this way” line every now and then. Why is it that you keep talking about your acoustic guitar when doing a Hip-Hop-Rock song? Just seems out of place is all… As usual, it has some things about it that sound good, but it’s not enough to make a lasting impression with me.

5 of 10

Sven Mullet – Here we go… nice intro. I like this song quite a bit. Again, there really isn’t much to say about it. It’s definitely a keeper.

9 of 10.

Todd McHatton – Sounds a little bit like the direction Mailbox was heading. It has a ‘pleasant’ feel. It’s also pretty catchy as well.

8 of 10

The Weakest Suit – Volume could come up on various aspects of the mixing, but it’s good. The last few songs have been pretty catchy and of real good quality. This needs a little something still—perhaps just the mixing clean up. But I like it.

7 of 10

Yardboy – I love acoustic guitar songs like this. The vocals could actually come up a little bit. This is a really good song and another keeper for me.

9 of 10

[Billy's Little Trip]

Ok, I want to respond to all that have reviewed because I feel that if one takes the time to review, they should get a nod in their general direction.

It's funny how a song can change as it builds. Could be the mood I'm in when I start and the mood I'm in on the final mix. Niveous and Paco heard the changes and it really went from a bass driven industrial song to a guitar driven blues rock.

Billy's Little Trip (featuring Paco del Stinko)

Kind of like Madgin, I was waiting for this enormous distorted part to come in, but I was left wanting. The solo is awesome. I like how I can understand the lyrics even though they are distorted and effected. Some of the harmonies are a little dissonant to me, but for some reason this fight has produced a lot of dissonant or unusual chord changes that I don't normally hear in a fight. Nice job.

Damn, I should have left my enormous distorted part in. I often try to give a live feel to songs like this and the harmony vocal delivery is part of that. On the lyrics I used a plugin that came with Cubase called "full dynamics" (compression, gate, limiter) that I've used a few times. It really helps my vocal clarity no matter what I toss in the mix, although I think I added a tad too much ambiance. I probably should use it more, because I usually get a complaint that my vox are hard to understand and they are annoying, lol. Thanks for the review, Mike

Billy's Little trip
Solid musicianship. The guitar seems a bit too far off to the side in the mix at times. Delightfully twisted lyrics.

Yes, Niveous is known for his dark and twisted writing, which is why I LOVE working with him. He may not be playing an instrument in the song, but you can often see the silhouette of a dark figure standing in the shadows with only the light from the mixing board reflecting off of his pen as he clicks it to subliminally set the tempo of the song.
The guitar panning is intentional, but being that you mentioned it, maybe it's not a good idea. I thought it sounded good. Thanks for the review, Mailbox.

Billy's Little Trip featuring Paco Del Stinko- I like this team, and yes, because I'm part of it. The guitar parts I contributed were not as interesting until BLT worked his magic on them, making the much stronger than if he'd left them alone. The vocals may wander a bit, pitch-wise, but are delivered strongly and with feel, so I can't complain. Nice twisted lyrics as well, this song would fit well as video soundtrack with snappy edits of horror on top. Simple and effective builds in the mix ease and push the tension nicely. Sweet? No. Dark fun? Yes.

I enjoy this team as well. Something interesting always seems to come from our collaborations. Yeah, my vocals will be pitchy , but I always feel that when I sing with heart and conviction, I can deliver the message. Pretty I'm not. Thanks again for the fantastic guitar work on this song and thanks for the review. I always listen to your comments very intensely because you really have a good ear for music, probably the best I know. I would definitely want you to be my lead guitar player and co producer if I ever get around to recording an album again. *man hug*

Billy's Little Trip featuring Paco Del Stinko
GOOD: These guitar tones are some of the best I've heard on here. Good singing, too. Hey, this song is fun and rockin'. Thank you.
NEUTRAL: Vocals get a little too loud as the song goes on. But.. it kinda works.
VOTE: Yep.

Yes, Paco really did some awesome guitar work here. He knows how I like it. He is the kind of guitar player that can get very involved in his guitar playing to make other guitar players want to listen, but I'm the one that asks him to keep it simple for the general listener. He has a way of merging the two beautifully as you can hear in his short but awesome solo. Thanks for the review, Mr Town.

Billy's Little Trip and Paco

Man I like the guitars. Vocal track is a little too wet for my taste, but well delivered. Drums sound good, but out of place. They just don't mesh with the rest of the sounds.

Yes, Paco knows his way around 6 strings for sure. I agree on the vocals being a bit wet. After listening later, I would have backed off the ambiance. The drum sound is my "unique" sound, should I be so bold, lol. I know it doesn't fit standard methods, but I'm trying to make my own sound style and that is part of it. I don't use an over all reverb on my mixes, I individually treat each track to give placement in the space. It's a work in progress and comments like yours makes me re-listen to see if I have a problem with it. Thanks for the review, Irwin.

BLT f/ PDS - *taps player* Ah, there it is… thought the song froze up on me… Nice intro. Lead guitar does some nice stuff. Especially around 1:55. Just a good song—perhaps a bit attacking, but that’s not a bad thing—just haven’t had coffee yet this morning…

7 of 10

Yes, this is definitely a "just got off work on a Friday afternoon" song. Niveous wrote killer lyrics and Paco played a mean guitar. Thanks for the review, Embers.

I'll get to my reviews soon.

[blue]

Booty Chesterfield Trio – Interesting beat shift at the beginning. (Or.. it sounds like a shift… maybe it wasn’t)… Vocals are a little cluttered on the mixing—not coming through very clearly. Kind of feels like BLT+PDS’s song, and again, nothing wrong with the style, I just can’t appreciate it fully right this second. I would have cleaned up the vocals a little, still…

recorded live into 1 mic, nothing to clean up.

[Paco Del Stinko]

recorded live into 1 mic

Most excellent!

[blue]

recorded live into 1 mic

Most excellent!

don't get excited, i lie a lot.

[Billy's Little Trip]

recorded live into 1 mic

Most excellent!

don't get excited, i lie a lot.

I like how you recorded and mixed the drums on this one. Something new?

[blue]

I like how you recorded and mixed the drums on this one. Something new?

just less and less mixing with every song, i guess. one diff is this is 3 overheads, ribbons right and left and a tube condenser right over my head. senny m421 in the kick and a shure unisphere on the snare shell.

the tube mic was set hot, so it has everything in it. we did record this live w/1 guitar, vocals, and drums. bass and 2nd guitar are overdubbed. nuendo's built-in multiband compressor on the drum group track aaaaand.. that's it. recorded, mixed, and submitted in about an hour.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Really captured that garage feel. But the drums still have a nice thump and hit, which powers it. I like it.

[Paco Del Stinko]

Well. I ate the one mic right up. Great stuff, and great sounding, regardless. No D-6? Love that sizzling guitar very much as well: just enough grease on it.

[nyjm]

reviews, as promised:

flvxxvm florvumm
+++ short rockabilly, nice piano +++
/// that solo is TOO GODDAMN LOUD, but nice tone ///
--- you sing through your nose; open up ---

the hand formula
/// oooh, lo-fi ///
/// i like the vox treatment, but you need to lower that squeeze-box-sounding instrument ///
--- 4:40? really? ---

hijack & the requests
--- vox ---
--- boring ---

jan krueger
/// neat guitar riff and tone ///
+++ vox harmonies +++
/// lead vox sounds like a muppet ///

johnny cashpoint
/// i love that signature j$ lead guitar tone; what do you use? ///
+++ "'cos we're built for guilt, still staring at our feet" +++
/// a solid J$ song, of which I am always a fan, but nothing makes me stand up and go "yeah!" ///

jonathan mann & the not-so flats [vote]
+++ channels Bob Dylan and does a damn fine job +++
/// recording that "choir" must have taken forever ///

madgin and the party bears
+++ cool guit tone and some nice riffage +++
/// the vox and the guitars seem to inhabit two different sonic worlds ///
+++ solo +++

mailbox
+++ backbeat and aural tones +++
+++ clapping +++
/// the lyrics leave me scratching my head ///

mc eric b
/// i simply can't read this: the lyrics are just a too earnest and bland for me to take seriously, but the vocal delivery and the casio-pop arrangement nearly pushes this to parody. If the former: boring; if the latter: it fails to be sufficiently witty or biting ///

melvin [vote]
+++ i f---in' love it when Melvin steps outside of his comfort zone +++
+++ samplin' skillz, rhythm and political commentary +++
/// the BPMs are a little low; it could use some variety ///

the narcaloungers
/// bias alert: I'm a sucker for female vox ///
+++ pretty vox, solid arrangement and production; love the slide guit +++
/// a solid submission, just not as good as some of the awesome entries this fight ///

paco del stinko
+++ guit tone +++
/// much of lyrics seemed forced into the rhythm ///

pigpen
+++ build +++
--- vox too loud and tuneless ---

shotpounder [vote]
+++ FUCK YEAH ! +++
/// song fight self-references usually fall flat on their face; this is one of the exceptions: a solid groove, a great chorus, a lot of interesting tones and bunch of people having a great time ///

sven mullet
--- guit riff chugs rather than rocks ---
+++ vox tone +++
/// pretty, koan-like lyrics, but somewhat repetitive ///

todd mchatton
/// oooh, it's the white album or maybe sergeant pepper's... ///
--- back away from the mike ---
/// like the narcaloungers, a solid entry that just has the bad luck to be in an awesome fight ///

the weakest suit
/// when did the 80's come back? ///
--- samey ---
--- earnest lyrics that border on sap, but most importantly, are too insular ---

yardboy
+++ guit tone +++
+++ vox +++
--- samey ---

adam dachis
+++ vox harmonies +++
/// solid production, though the synth seems mismatched to the rest of the song ///
--- too short ---

berkley social scene
+++ out of left-field opening sonic assault +++
--- vox rhythm has rhythm problems ---
--- ... and melody problems: yell more, sing less ---

billy's little trip feat. paco del stinko [vote]
+++ guit tone and riff +++
+++ creepy Niv lyrics [TM] +++
/// the vox might benefit from more of a growl ///

the booty chesterfield trio
+++ groove +++
/// all the good things and bad things of a live recording; great energy, bad vox clip ///

chumlords
+++ a much more interesting take on mc eric b's lyrics; now, the parody is full-bore +++

dante le chunk
/// pretty ///
--- no lyrics = fail ---

electric needle room
--- repetitive ---
+++ good rap +++
--- repetitive ---
/// so-so lyrics ///
--- repetitive ---

[Dante Lechunk]

Cheers for the constructive criticisms. Not going to be in the next to two weeks, but just you wait!

(All points have been taken on board)

[j$]

/// i love that signature j$ lead guitar tone; what do you use? ///

An acoustic guitar, with the bass end trimmed off, then run through various settings in Trash, mainly.